


Take Me Anywhere

by BillieShears, Ravenclawsome



Series: Spy AU [2]
Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, spy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 00:56:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 6,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4414829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BillieShears/pseuds/BillieShears, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenclawsome/pseuds/Ravenclawsome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A follow up to I DO SPY, chronicling Bea and Ben's adventures abroad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Auckland

“Are we taking your car?” Beatrice asked breathlessly, shoving essentials into a bag.

“No, I was thinking we’d _literally_ run,” Benedick said, passing her a pair of shoes with a small smile.

“I’m gonna forget something stupid,” she frowned, knitting her brow and glancing around the room. “What don’t I have?”

“Well, let’s see,” Ben started ticking things off on his fingers as he listed, “we’ve got my good looks and charm, your cutting wit… what else do we even need?”

Beatrice turned to look at him, her whole face relaxing into a smile.

“It’s weird that yesterday I was trying to convince myself I hated you, isn’t it?”

“The great thing about yesterday,” Ben said, lacing his fingers with hers and bringing her hand to his lips, kissing it quickly, “is that it’s in the past.”

“Very smooth,” She laughed, gently pulling her hand away, “but quit distracting me - we’re literally about the flee the country. This is not the time to forget something important.”

“Right, point taken. Which tea did you want me to grab from the cupboard, then?”

“Don’t think I won’t kick you out if you’re going to be unhelpful,” she teased, picking up a pencil from her desk and tossing it at him. “Okay, clothes, toothbrush, passport, I know I’m forgetting something.”

Suddenly, Ben’s eyes got very wide.

“What? What is it?” Bea asked, growing frantic.

“I can’t believe it,” He shook his head, “I can’t believe we almost forgot the most important thing.”

“ _What_?” She demanded, caught between frustration and panic, “Just tell me!”

Ben disappeared into the closet, emerging a few moments later with the nearly-forgotten item in hand.

“I am so, _so_ sorry, Floyd,” He apologized, gently petting the plastic flamingos head, “I would have come back for you. Don’t worry.”

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” Bea threw her hands up. “That’s it, I quit. When we’re in Brazil and you realize you’ve forgotten to pack your wallet, it’s on you.”

“My wallet!” He cried, rushing to the kitchen, “I can’t believe I almost forgot my wallet!”

Beatrice shook her head, smiling as she shoved her brush into the front pocket of her backpack.

“This is the man I have chosen, Floyd,” she mumbled to the plastic flamingo. “This man.”

“Where did I leave it?” Ben’s panicked voice came from the other room. “Did YOU take it?”

“Yes, Ben,” she called, hoisting her bag onto her back. “I was with your for your money the whole time.”

“This is no time for jokes love, packing is a _serious_ business.”

 


	2. New York

“Ben,” Beatrice called, pushing open the door to their hotel room with a paper cup of tea in her hands. “They didn’t have English Breakfast, so you’re stuck with Earl Grey. _Ha ha_.”

She turned into the room fully, and her stomach dropped.

Ben wasn’t there.

“Ben?” she called, setting down the tea quickly and making sure her gun was safely tucked away under her jacket.

He didn’t answer.

She checked the bathroom, (and the bathtub, just to be sure,) the closets, and in a panicked move, under the beds.

Nothing.

She dialed his phone number, feeling her heart pound in his chest. She heard a vibrating sound and looked over to see his phone, still lying on the bedside table.

 _Fuck_ , she thought. _Benedick, you moron, where are you_?

A million scary thoughts ran through her head. Robbie, John, those members of the mob Ben had pissed off on the lower east side.

She was about to reload her gun and storm out to find him when the door burst open.

“Hey, there you are!” Benedick said, cheerily. “I woke up and you were-“

He didn’t get any further before she crashed into him, enveloping him in a hug.

“Bea, what’s wrong?” He asked, putting his arms around her.

“It’s stupid, I just…” she mumbled, breathing in the smell of his laundry detergent and his hair and everything _Ben_. “I was worried about you.”

Ben squinted at her.

“This is about the mob, isn’t it,” he said seriously, which made Bea crack a watery smile. “I swear, they weren’t _nearly_ smart enough to track us here.”

“Definitely not,” she beamed, standing on tip toe to kiss him. “You want some tea?” His eyes lit up.

“English breakfast?”

“Earl Grey.”

“Ah well. I still love you.”

 


	3. The Highlands

It was cold and wet and rainy in Scotland, but Ben refused to cancel their plans to camp by Loch Ness. Beatrice was huddled by the tent, a thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders, perched by a nearly-put out fire, scribbling a postcard to Hero. Ben was pacing back and forth by the shore, camera at the ready, occasionally pausing to squint in the distance.

“I don’t think she’s coming out to play today, darling,” She called, glancing up from her postcard, “maybe we should go to a hotel and try this again on a sunnier day.”

“See, that’s exactly what Nessie would want you to think,” Ben said, coming to sit by her, “but the truth is, she would never come out on a sunny day. Not when there would be all kinds of people out and about, where she could be spotted by just anyone.”

“Ah,” Bea grinned, “so she’s waiting to be spotted by just the right person. You, for example.”

“Exactly,” He said solemnly, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. “Is that for Hero? Did you add the part about how it’ll self destruct?”

“Are we honestly going to finish _every_ postcard like that?”

“Of course we are!” He took the pen and postcard from her, scribbling it across the bottom. “Can’t risk someone intercepting it and knowing our locations.”

“You know that just _writing_ ‘this message will self destruct’ doesn’t actually make it self destruct, right?” She laughed.

“Honestly, love, where is your sense of adventure?” He shook his head disapprovingly. “This makes it fun. It adds an element of risk and secrecy to it.” Bea raised her brow, amused.

“Someone misses spy work.”

“...Maybe a _little_.”

Bea considered it for a moment, then jumped to her feet, shedding the blanket from her shoulders. She grabbed the binoculars from Ben, and passed him the camera. She held up her bare wrist and spoke into it, as though she still had her communicator.

“Lady Disdain to Signor Mountanto, we’ve got a super top secret official mission on our hands. Nessie herself is out there somewhere, and it’s up to us to find her, document her presence, and report back to HQ. Do you accept this mission?”

Ben was beaming. He held up his own wrist, mimicking her movements.

“This is Signor Mountanto,” He said, “And I accept the mission. Team Blessed is back in action.”


	4. Munich

"Hey," Beatrice said as they slow danced at a stranger's wedding in Munich. "You know how long we've been gone?"

"Nope," Benedick grinned, resting his forehead against hers. "Why?"

"Because I don't either!" She laughed, quietly. "God, it doesn't feel like that long, does it?"

"You're right," he smiled, "but I'd be happy to do it a while longer."

"How much longer?"

"You just let me know when you get tired of me, love."

"Looks like we're taking a permanent vacation, then," she beamed, tugging him down to press her lips against his.

 

 


	5. Berlin

The bar in Germany was packed, filled to the brim with the sounds of music and laughter. Bright reds and yellows filled the room, and there was just enough space at the bar for Benedick to squeeze in and order drinks.

"Hi there."

He turned his head to see a red haired girl smiling at him, a polka dot clutch in her hand.

"Uh, hi!" He said, a little confused. "Sorry, do I know you?"

"Not really," she shrugged, "but you're cute, so I'd definitely _like_ to know you."

Benedick heard her, but his mind still refused to accept it. Someone was… was _flirting with him_?

“OH,” he said, his eyes wide. “Oh, uhhhhh, wow. Yeah, that’s not…”

“Hey,”

Benedick felt a rush of relief as Beatrice appeared behind him, squeezing her way through the crowd and taking his hand. “What did I miss?”

“Bea!” He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

When he looked up again, the girl was gone.

“Thank god you came back,” he said. “Get this: someone was _flirting_ with me.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but Beatrice just snorted into her drink.

“Keep walking, sweetheart,” she grinned, glancing around at the crowd. “Keep walking.”

 


	6. Literally Everywhere in Italy

“Signor!”

“Ciao, Signor.”

“Ey, Signor-”

“We are never coming back to Italy,” Benedick mumbled, after whipping around in alarm for the tenth time that day.

Beatrice couldn’t respond, gasping for air as she laughed until her ribs hurt.

 

 


	7. Somewhere Over Europe

It was a ten hour red-eye flight from London to Johannesburg, which was ten hours too long in Beatrice’s opinion.

“Ugh, murder me,” she mumbled into Ben’s shoulder after five minutes in the air.

“Let’s not start with that again,” he grinned, kissing the top of her head. “It’ll be over before you know it. Look at all the movies!” He gestured enthusiastically towards the screens on the back of the seats in front of them, displaying several hundred entertainment options.

“You wanna watch something together?” She asked, reaching up to browse the options.

“You have to ask?” He scoffed, leaning forward in thought. “What about…”

“Back to the Future?” Bea suggested.

“Didn’t we watch that last time we flew somewhere?”

“Oh yeah…” she frowned, her eyes skimming through the titles.

Suddenly Benedick burst out laughing, startling several of their surrounding passengers.

“What?” Bea giggled, trying to cover his mouth with her hand. “Damn it Mountanto, we’re supposed to be more covert than this!”

“It’s… we could…” he managed between fits of laughter. “We could watch _Spy Kids_ , Beatrice!”

She stared at him for a moment before leaning forward on her tray table, burying her face in her hands and shaking with laughter.

“You have to admit,” he said, pulling himself together, “it’s pretty funny.”

“I can’t take you ANYWHERE,” Beatrice beamed, hitting him in the arm.

Eventually they settled on _The Princess Bride_ , and they watched it until both of them were falling asleep in their seats.

“What do you want to do now?” Benedick mumbled as the credits started to roll.

“I don’t know,” Beatrice yawned. “Talk at me.”

The corners of Ben’s mouth twitched upwards.

“I do spy, with my little eye…”

“Dork.”

 


	8. Mexico City

He'd let go of Beatrice's hand for two seconds, and suddenly she had disappeared into the bustling crowds of Mexico City. He thought she'd been right behind him, but apparently not.

Fantastic.

He'd tried calling her more times than he could count, but he kept getting her voicemail. (The one she still hadn't changed since he left to work with John. _"Hi there, it's Beatrice Duke. I'm not around right now, so leave me a message and I'll get back to you soon! Unless this is Benedick, in which case piss off."_ )

It was useless trying to find her among the throngs of tourists, the only thing he could think to do was head back to the place where he'd lost her and wait.

Now if only he could find _that._

Just as Benedick was really starting to feel hopeless, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. _Unknown number._

"Hello?" He asked, hardly daring to think…

" _Ben_!" Beatrice's voice emanated from the other end of the line, and he felt a rush of relief envelope him. "God, where are you?"

"I... I honestly have no idea," he laughed, still too glad to know she was okay to think about much else. "Where are _you_? You didn't answer your phone."

"It _died_ ," she grumbled. "So useless. I'm on a payphone by that place we ate lunch, remember?"

"Uhh, yes!" Benedick nodded. "I'll be there, two ticks."

"Okay."

"So, I guess I'll-"

"Don't you _dare_ hang up this phone, Ben," Beatrice warned. "I don't have any more change for this thing, and we both know you're going to get lost."

"How dare you?"

"It's true!"

"Still."

He did get lost, but only a little. Beatrice saw him before he saw her, dashing through a school group and around a couple annoyed locals before colliding with him.

Benedick pulled her close, lifting her off her feet and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Motion to just go back to the hotel and watch TV all day?" He asked.

"Motion _completely_ carried."


	9. Granada

In Spain, they stayed in a cave. They stayed up all night, sharing a bottle of wine, gazing at the stars above them and the twinkling lights of the city beneath them.

“Do you know what I want to do today?” Ben asked, as the sun came up. Beatrice lifted her head from his shoulder.

“What’s that?” She asked, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“I want to get married,” He said. “What do you think?”

She pulled back, looking him over, as though trying to decide whether or not he was serious. The corners of her lips twitched upwards.

“Really?”

“Why not?” He grinned, “It’s not like we’re doing anything else today. There are worse ways we could spend our time.”

“Okay,” She beamed. Ben’s smile was infectious and irresistible, and made her stomach flip. “Let’s do it. Let’s get married. Why the hell not?”

They agreed that they wouldn’t exchange rings – it was too cliché, too traditional, too unlike them. Once they were married, they had a celebratory dinner where they filled themselves up with platters of tapas. Afterwards, they strolled the streets hand in hand, ducking in and out of shops. Ben was the one who spotted the bracelets – they were simple, relatively thin and unassuming. He bought two from the shopkeeper while Bea meandered around the corner, inspecting a necklace she was considering sending to Hero. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck.

“Hey there,” She laughed, turning around and kissing him.

“I have something for you,” He said, “for us, actually. To commemorate our wedding.”

“Oh?” She grinned expectantly, “And what’s that?”

He pressed one of the bracelets into her right hand, and taking her left in his own, holding it up between them. He took the bracelet and looped it around her wrist.

“I, Benedick,” He said, tying it so it fit snugly, “take thee, Beatrice…”

“We already got married, doofus,” She teased, smiling so wide it reached her eyes, “remember? You were there.”

“I’m trying to create a moment, Love,” He chastised, “you’re ruining it.”

“Sorry,” She kissed his cheek, “go on.”

“I, Benedick, take thee, Beatrice, as my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, for better or for worse, in both top secret spy missions and our day to day lives, until death do us part.”

“You’re completely ridiculous,” She dismissed, but her eyes were shining with happy tears. She took the bracelet he’d pressed to her hand and gently tied it around his wrist, knotting it tightly. “I, Beatrice, take thee, Benedick, as my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, for better or for worse, even when you make terrible jokes that drive me up the wall. Until death do us part. Unless David Tennant comes along, as previously discussed.”

He bent to kiss her, and she melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“But if you shoot me again,” he warned, a playful glint in his eye, “I want a divorce.”

Bea shook her head, patting his cheek.

“Let it go, Mountanto,” She laughed, “let it go.”


	10. Togo

Beatrice was just starting to wake up when Benedick burst into the room, a tray of food in his hands.

“Morning!” he said cheerily, setting the tray down on the bedside table and sweeping Beatrice into a kiss. “Guess what day it is?”

“What day is it?” she yawned, knowing full well what he was talking about.

“It’s your birthday, dear Beatrice,” Ben said, picking the tray back up and setting it in front of her. “Your twenty second, unless I am ridiculously wrong.”

“Ooh, right! How could I possibly have forgotten?” Beatrice asked, as Benedick scooted in next to her and pressed another kiss to her cheek.

“I definitely didn’t forget,” he said, gesturing towards the food. “Tell me, how does it feel to be married before turning twenty two? Irresponsible? Reckless?”

“Fantastic,” she grinned, taking a bite of toast. “10/10 would marry you again.”

“Yeah?”

“Obviously,” Beatrice rolled her eyes. “You brought me breakfast in bed! What more proof do I need that marrying you was a good idea?”

“You do make a good point,” Benedick sighed, leaning back on the headboard. “So I guess you don’t really need this then?”

He brought a small, poorly wrapped package out of his pocket. Beatrice took one look at it, then eyed him bemusedly.

“I thought we said we didn’t need to do birthday presents?”

“That’s ridiculous. I would never agree to that.”

Beatrice took the package, shaking it a little.

“Who wrapped this?” She joked. “Someone with one hand tied behind their back?”

“Someone who was too busy going on epic spy missions to take any time to learn proper gift wrapping skills,” Benedick corrected.

“Right.” Beatrice peeled off a corner of tape, pulling back the patterned paper to reveal a small box. And inside that…

_Ben._

There was a small pendant in the box, a silver chain with a compass charm hanging off it. Bea looked over at him, beaming.

“I figured you should have one too,” Benedick grinned. “You know, so you can always-”

That was as far as he got before Beatrice grabbed his collar, pulling him towards him towards her and kissing him with gusto.

“This is officially my best birthday,” she said breathlessly when they pulled apart.

“And it’s just getting started,” Benedick added.

 


	11. Portugal

"So, we've been to Paris, Rome, London, Venice," Beatrice said, consulting her phone.

"Spain," Benedick added, wiggling his eyebrows and holding up the woven bracelet on his left hand.

"Hell yeah," Bea smiled, showing off her own. "Where to next, Signor?"

"Literally anywhere," he said, leaning back in his cafe chair to let the afternoon sun hit his face.

"So, Texas," Beatrice deadpanned.  

"Literally anywhere else."


	12. Paris

They sat on the hotel balcony, overlooking the city as the sun was just starting to set, music playing on low. Bea’s legs were propped up on Ben’s lap, and he stroked his thumb across her ankle absently.

“Can you believe this is our life?” Bea asked. “I mean, truly.”

“We do lead exceptionally remarkable ones,” Ben grinned, “International super spies, and all that.”

“International super spies on the most epic vacation of their lives,” She corrected.

“Well, of course,” Ben agreed, “what else do you do when the leader of Team Evil wants you dead?”

“You go to Paris and eat a lot of cheese,” Bea replied, smiling wide.

_Baby, we’ve come a long way..._

Ben reached over to turn the music up.

_Baby, you know I hope and I pray you believe me when I say this love will never fade away…_

“I wrote this song for you, you know,” He told her.

“Oh, really,” Bea smirked.

_Because, you are the best thing…_

“I did,” He said seriously, “this man ripped these lyrics straight from my journal.”

“You keep a journal?” Bea asked, tilting her head, “I’ve never seen you writing in a journal.”

“Of course I do. Where else was I going to suss out all of my confusing feelings for you?” He replied. “And obviously I keep it hidden - can’t have you finding it and reading all of my innermost thoughts.”

_you are the best thing…_

“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not,” She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Dear Diary,” He grinned, “John wants me to kill Beatrice. Woe is me! What’s a guy to do?”

“Stop,” She laughed, “is this real or not?!”

“Dear Diary,” he continued, “Today, Beatrice shot me in the leg. Now she’s nursing me back to health. As far as finding excuses to spend time with me go, this one seems pretty elaborate.”

“That ego of yours is getting too big for your own good, buddy.”

“Dear Diary,” His smile reached all the way to his ears now, “Bea thinks I was lying about loving her. If only she knew that I -”

He stopped, smiling impossibly wider.

“That you what?” She demanded, “Don’t leave me hanging!”

“I never got to finish the sentence,” he explained, “because you kicked my door in, broke into my secret lair, and threw yourself at me.”

“That is _not_ how I remember it,” She said, shaking her head vehemently, “no way.”

“Oh, really? So you didn’t kick my door in?”

“Well, I _did_ , but -”

“And you _didn’t_ break into the Bencave?”

“Well, _yes_ , but only because your security skills are seriously lacking -”

“And you _didn’t_ proceed to make out with me immediately upon finding me?”

Bea fell silent, frowning at him. Ben grinned triumphantly.

“I rest my case.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I _did_ ,” She huffed, “otherwise, we probably wouldn’t be traveling the world together now.”

“No arguments here, love,” He assured her, taking her hand.

_you are the best thing…_

“Dear Diary,” he said, kissing her fingertips, “Bea and I are in Paris. Neither of us speaks a lick of french, and the locals hate us, but I’d rather be here with her than anywhere else.”

_you are the best thing…_

“I like that entry,” She said, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.

“There’s a million more where that came from,” he said, “and another million waiting to be written. Just you wait.”

_you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me._

 


	13. Santorini

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mild violence in this chapter!

“So, how did you two meet?”

Beatrice and Benedick exchanged looks across the table. They’d been sidestepping personal questions all night, but the friendly greek couple they met at the bar was persistent.

“Through work,” Beatrice said, dismissively.

“Yeah,” Benedick added, “we worked together for a while before we actually dated though.”

“Honestly, the sexual tension was killing me,” Beatrice smirked.

“Almost literally!” He grinned, putting an arm around her waist.

The greek couple laughed, and Beatrice let out the breath she’d been holding. They were fine. They were all fine.

“But you said you’re married?” The woman, Lamia, giggled. “You look so _young_!”

Beatrice rolled her eyes, smiling all the same. She was glad she and Benedick had taken that mission in Greece a year before so they could talk to their new friends in their native language, but sometimes she wished she didn’t know enough greek to answer their questions. Luckily, Ben had it covered.

“Well, it would’ve honestly been stupid not to get married, at that point,” he said cheerily, taking another sip of beer. “We knew we were ridiculously in love, why fight it?”

“That’s not why I married you,” Beatrice said, crossing her arms.

“Really.”

“Really. I was really sick that day and making rash decisions.”

“Sure you were,” he smiled, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

“You two are too adorable. You’re showing me up!” The man, Akakios, protested. Lamia laughed, taking his hand.

“Don’t worry darling, I still love you.”

“Good to know,” he grinned, stretching his arms up and glancing around the crowded restaurant where they’d been eating dinner.

“Is there a bathroom around here?” Benedick asked, drumming his fingers on the table.

“Not in here,” Akakios said quickly, “but there’s one right down the block. I was just going to go myself.”

“We’ll just wait here for you,” Lamia said, patting his arm.

Benedick looked over at Beatrice, nervously. She could almost see his brain flashing back to Mexico City…

“I’ll be right here,” she said, taking his hand and squeezing it. Benedick squeezed back, grinning a little uneasily at her.

“You coming?” Akakios asked. Benedick nodded slowly, pushing himself up from the table and following the other man out of the restaurant. He turned to look back at Bea for a split second, and he was gone.

“I know where they’re going, they shouldn’t be more than a few minutes,” Lamia said, stirring her drink absentmindedly. Beatrice nodded, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.

It really shouldn’t have bothered her so much, Benedick being gone, but she thought her worry was justified. If anything happened to him… she would be left in Greece, alone and miserable.

Five minutes came and went.

Then ten minutes.

“Could there be a line?” Beatrice asked, craning her neck to look out a nearby window. “What’s keeping them?”

“I don’t know,” Lamia bit her lip. “I mean, it could be… but that’s silly.”

“What?”

“Well, this area’s been a little odd lately,” Lamia said. “It’s normally safe as anything, but a day or two ago Akakios and I saw a man walking around with a huge _knife_.”

Beatrice sat up so fast Lamia jumped in alarm.

“What man?” She said, heart pounding. “What did he look like?”

“I don’t know!” Lamia said, “I mean, he looked like the kind of guy you wouldn’t want to cross. Black hair, maybe? Where are you going?”

“To find them,” said Beatrice, who had stood up and begun to walk towards the door. “They might be in trouble.”

Why hadn’t she gone with him? How could she have been stupid enough to let Ben wander around a crowded city with a complete stranger? She slammed the restaurant door open, frustration and adrenaline and worry building up inside her. Lamia followed right behind, her face filled with anxiety.

“What do you mean, ‘trouble?’” she asked, and Beatrice suddenly began to grasp the bigger picture. At least Ben could defend himself in a fight, but this woman’s husband…

They had to move quickly.

“We just need to find them.” Beatrice answered. “Lamia, can you show me where they were going?”

“This way,” she said, grabbing Beatrice’s arm and pulling her through the crowds. As they ran, she took a mental stock of all the weapons she had on her.

1\. Gun in her purse

2\. …

She had not left the hotel prepared.

The crowds were thinning out, becoming almost non existent as Lamia led her into a different part of the city and towards an alleyway.

“It’s down there,” she said, pointing a shaky hand towards the space between the two buildings. Beatrice took a deep breath, reaching in her bag and drawing out her glock. Lamia gasped, taking a few steps back. “Who… who are you?”

“It’s okay,” Beatrice said, reassuringly. “This is sort of my thing. Stay here.”

She took careful steps towards the alley, trying to regulate her breathing. She hadn’t seen Robbie in months, didn’t have a _clue_ how he could’ve found them, but she was prepared to do anything to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

Beatrice paused at the edge of a building, took a final deep breath, and turned the corner with her gun held strongly in front of her.

Benedick was there, his eyes panicked as a knife was held up to his throat.

But it wasn’t Robbie who was holding it.

It was Akakios.

And then Beatrice felt the barrel of a gun press up to her temple.

“Here’s the problem, Lady Disdain,” Lamia said, in perfect english. “This is sort of our thing too.”

 

***

 

Beatrice and Benedick locked eyes across the alleyway.

 _Are you okay_? Bea tried to ask silently. Ben nodded as best he could with Akakios’ blade against his throat.

“We found you,” Lamia breathed, a wicked grin playing across her face. “The famous Team Blessed, and we found you.”

“How do you know who we are?” Beatrice asked, trying to regulate her heartbeat as she felt the gun against her skin.

“Who hasn’t heard about you?” Akakios asked, smugly. “We all know about the explosion between ARAGON and MESSINA.”

“Such a lovely story too,” Lamia added, almost cackling with delight. “Agents hired to kill each other, they run away because they’re so _in love_ , it’s like a god damned fairy tale.”

“Who are you?” Benedick asked, his eyes flickering between Akakios’s knife and Beatrice, looking for an opening. “Why don’t you just let us go, what do you care what we do?” Lamia rolled her eyes.

“We’re looking to, how would you put it… move up in the world?” she said, jerking the gun against Bea’s temple and making Benedick jump. “Or maybe you haven’t heard.”

“Why would they?” Akakios smiled. “Taking their little _vacation_ from spy work.”

“The Master contacted us _personally_ ,” Lamia said, her chest swelling with pride. “Told us there was a nice open spot with his organization if we found two little runaways and delivered them to him.”

“But why you?” Beatrice asked, stalling for time. “Why you specifically?”

“We’re CHIMERA’s best agents!” Akakios said, indignantly. “The Master would be lucky to have us!”

“You’re from CHIMERA?” Ben asked, mouth gaping. “I’ve heard of you! What does CHIMERA even stand for?”

“I don’t know Signor, what does MESSINA stand for?”

Benedick began to say something, but Beatrice cut him off.

“John is a master of manipulation. You really think he’ll let you join ARAGON just like that? You’re fooling yourselves.”

“She’s right,” Ben added darkly. “I’ve been there, I can tell you it’s not exactly a welcoming work environment.”

“You just didn’t have what it takes!” Lamia snarled, but Beatrice noticed something small in her voice shake. “You’re too soft for ARAGON, and obviously too gullible.”

Bea caught Ben’s eye, raising her eyebrows slightly, but he’d heard it too.

“What about you, Akakios?” Ben asked. “You really think you’ve got what it takes to join up with The Master himself?”

“Shut it, you,” Akakios said, jerking the knife slightly and causing Beatrice to lose her breath for a moment. “Lamia, let’s get these two to the car.”

“You honestly believe John will take you? How do you know he won’t take us and push you both out the door?” Ben continued, planting his feet as Akakios tried to start moving him out of the alley.

“How will CHIMERA feel when they find out you abandoned them?” Beatrice said. “When The Master tricks you into giving us up, you’ll have nowhere to go.”

“And I can’t say MESSINA would take you,” Benedick added. “Not with your attitude.”

“LISTEN!” Lamia said, pointing her gun at Ben, just as Akakios gestured with his knife.

“We need to go!”

And it was exactly the opening Bea and Ben needed.

Ben spun around, punching Akakios square in the face and kicking his feet out from under him. Beatrice grabbed Lamia’s arm and twisted, snatching the gun with her free hand and pointing it straight at the Greek woman.

“Ben, you okay?” She called, trying not to sound too panicked as she kept her eyes on Lamia.

“Are you kidding?” Ben’s voice called. “I’m fantastic! Bloody brilliant, as always.”

“You two…” Lamia breathed, clutching her arm and staring daggers at Beatrice, “you two…”

“I know,” Beatrice grinned, “we’re kind of perfect for each other, right?”

And she hit Lamia over the head with the butt of her gun.

“Well,” Ben said, breathlessly. “That was…”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. Beatrice ran to him, hugging him tight and pressing her head against his chest to hear his heart beating. He was safe. They both were.

“Let’s leave Greece,” she whispered, tilting her head up to kiss him.

“Lets.” 


	14. Cairo

“Hey,” Bea nudged Ben when the clock ticked over to midnight, “you know what today is?”

“Saturday?” He ventured. Bea rolled her eyes.

“It’s been a year since we left.”

“Really?” He sat up. “How do you know?”

“Oh, okay, like I’m going to forget the day we finally got over ourselves and got together,” She smirked, “right.”

He smiled at her almost shyly.

“That just doesn’t seem like something you’d keep track of,” He said.

“Are you kidding?” she laughed, snuggling closer to him. “I kicked down your door! I beat the shit out of Robbie! It was an eventful day.”

“Oh _man_ ,” Benedick grinned at the memory. “Remember how you definitely weren’t wearing jeans?”

“Which time?” Beatrice smirked.

“Are you implying you’ve beat up several guys while in your underwear?” Benedick said, in mock surprise. “I’m appalled, Bea.”

“You don’t know my life,” she whispered, dramatically.

“When are you finding time to do this?” Ben continued, relentlessly. “Do you sneak out at night to fight crime? ARE YOU AN UNDERWEAR NINJA?”

“STOP,” Beatrice laughed, grabbing a pillow and trying to cover his mouth with it. “You’re _impossible_.”

“And you’re stuck with me!” He said cheerily, his voice muffled by the pillow.

“Here I am, trying to have a serious discussion with you, and you turn it into a ridiculous conversation about underwear ninjas,” She accused, biting her lip to stifle her laughter.

“You’re the one who leads a secret double life,” He replied, squirming out from under the pillow, tossing it aside.

“And it’s a very serious business.”

“In any event,” He smiled, “happy anniversary, love. It’s been the best year ever.”

“That’s for sure,” She nuzzled her head against his shoulder, then reached across him for a box on the bedside table. She removed the lid and dumped the contents on the bed between them - dozens and dozens of photos, documenting their travels. “Remember how much they hated you in Paris?”

“They didn’t hate me,” He argued, “they thought I was charming!”

“Ben, you ended _every single sentence_ with ‘sacre bleu!’ the _whole time we were there_ ,” She laughed, “trust me, they hated you.”

“Well, what about _you_?” Benedick asked, shuffling through the photos. “In New York, with that doorman?”

“Oh come on, that again?” Beatrice frowned, crossing her arms. “He absolutely did not need to open that door for me so many times.”

“It’s his _job_.”

“And I asked him very nicely to stop doing it for me!”

“He literally stands outside all day waiting to open doors for people, and you _denied him that_.” Benedick said.

“Okay, are we going to play this game? Fine.” Beatrice shifted, looking him dead in the eyes. “Georgia.”

Ben’s expression darkened immediately.

“Oh, do NOT get me started on Georgia again, Bea. You really want to hear me complain about that egregious offense to my country for another hour?”

“Oh, _always_ ,” Bea grinned.

“Look, I don’t know for certain exactly _what_ to call that unspeakable nonsense they were serving us, but it was _not tea_. If they want to call it juice, that’s fine. If they want to call it sugar water, that’s fine, too. But _tea_? Absolutely not. Under no circumstances was _that_ tea.”

“I thought it was good,” Bea said, deliberately trying to rile him up, “in fact, I could go for a big glass of sweet tea right now. Maybe I’ll make us some.”

“Don’t you _dare_ ,” He said, aghast, his hand pressed over his heart, “don’t you dare call that disgusting concoction _tea_ in my presence ever again.”

“I wonder how the Queen feels about sweet tea…”

“I can tell you _exactly_ how she feels about it!” He cried, “ _Very poorly_. She’s horrified by it’s existence. She’d outlaw it, if she had any jurisdiction over America.”

“I’m sure she would,” Bea shook her head, flipping through the photos. “Oh my God. Remember the guy in Amsterdam who tried to steal your shoes from _right off of your feet_?”

“I _DO_ remember that!” Benedick laughed, “They weren’t even good shoes, were they?”

“No! I have no idea why he wanted them!” Beatrice replied in indignation.  

They both lost it, doubling over the photos on the bed and laughing until they were able to pull themselves together.

“Hey,” Beatrice began, her head resting on Ben’s shoulder. “Remember… remember that time we got separated in Mexico?”

“Yeah,” Ben mumbled. “ _Vividly_.”

“That was the worst,” she said, taking his hand gently. “If I hadn’t found that payphone…”

“I would’ve found you anyway,” Benedick said, confidently. “I can always find my way back to you, remember?”

"Even when a Greek couple is trying to kill us, or when I think you've been carried off by New York mobsters?" 

"Even then," Ben grinned, leaning over to kiss her.

“What do you think the others are doing right now?” Bea asked, as she pulled back from the kiss. Ben considered it for a moment before answering.

“Well, Hero’s garden has probably taken over the whole yard, for one,” He said, “and Pedro is probably trying and failing to replace us on the team. Oh! Or maybe Meg has overthrown him and taken over MESSINA singlehandedly. I wouldn’t be surprised. She could probably do it.”

“She probably could,” Bea agreed, chuckling. “Do you think Hero’s been getting the postcards?”

“I’m sure she has, love.”

“I just wish that there was some way she could respond,” She said, sadness creeping into her voice. “I know we had to cut ties when we left, for the most part, but…”

“I know what you mean.” He kissed the top of her head, rubbing her shoulder absently. “What do you think happened with John and Pedro after we left? I mean, John’s plan all along was to take down MESSINA, right? Which probably means he’d ultimately be facing Pedro, so…”

“It’s kind of weird to think of life continuing on as normal back home, you know?” She hugged her knees to her chest, a faraway look in her eyes. “Everyone we left behind has just been carrying on this whole time. It’s weird to think about how much might have changed.”

“Or not changed,” He added.

“Right,” Beatrice smiled, wryly. “Robbie’s definitely still an asshole.”

“Well, some things are never going to change,” Benedick sighed, gazing fondly at her.

“I just…” she trailed off, her eyes darting through the photos. “I miss them, Ben. Our friends. I _hate_ not knowing what they’re up to, honestly. We can guess all we want about Hero and Pedro and Meg, but if anything actually happened to them...”

Benedick glanced from Beatrice’s face to the photos, then back to Beatrice. Something in his expression changed, like he had made a decision.

“You know,” he ventured. “We could always… go back.” Bea’s head shot up, her eyes wide.

“Go _back_?” she asked, like she hadn’t heard him right. “To MESSINA? Now?”

“Why not?”

Beatrice opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss for words.

“I imagine everything’s sort of died down now, you know?” Ben continued. “It’s not like we’d get back, and Pedro would say ‘ _great to see you guys! I’m still gonna need you to shoot Ben though, Beatrice, tick tock_.’”

“You’re making it sound so easy,” She mumbled. Ben raised his brow.

“Does it have to be difficult?” He countered. “Think of how easy it was to leave. Going back would be even easier than that. Mostly because - _ideally_ \- no one will be actively trying to kill us when we go back.” She laughed, shoving him lightly.

“Okay,” She said, a slow smile spreading across her face, “okay. Let’s do it. Let’s go home.”

“Home it is,” He grinned, “Next stop: New Zealand.”

“But first, I’m going to call the front desk and ask if anyone around here knows how to make a pitcher of sweet tea.”

“That’s it,” Ben said, “you’re banned from my bed for the next twenty-four hours.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” She challenged. Ben laughed, pulling her towards him and kissing her.

“I really wouldn’t.” 


End file.
